Concentrating machine



June 1, 1937. J. w. MERRlTT CONCENTRATING MACHINE Filed Dec. 10, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 1, 1937 UE ,f STATE oFFlcE i 3 Claims.

This invention relates to concentrating machines for separating materials of different specli-lc gravities and has for to provide a self-cleaning slulce, to provide a struction.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated-in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a concentrating machine embodying the features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective View of the machine as seen from below to better illustrate the hinged mounting of the concentrating pan.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the machine on the line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line lI-4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section through the quiescent zone of the concentrating pan looking in the direction of the discharge opening for the heavy concentrates.

Fig. 6 is a perspective showing the selector in disassembled spac centrating struction.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

I designates a base frame including longitudi- View similar to Fig. 1 plate and two of the riiles ed relation with the conpan to better illustrate their conal sills, 'Ihe base frame thus a suitable overhead 'I having their lower points intermediate the longitudinal sills are pairs of legs S-Ill and II-I2 hingedly supporting a concentrating pan I3 in parallel relation with the base frame. The concentrating pan I3 includes front and rear walls I4 and I5 connected at one i of their ends by a side wall I6 and at their opposite ends by an inset side wall Il to form a substantially rectangular shaped body having a bottom I8. Y

` I8 includes a horizontal section` I9 extending the full width of the pan and from the rear wall l5 to a. point substantially midway of the length thereof where it connects with ined section 20 having its opposite edge connected with the front wall I4 and forming the lower edge ofa discharge opening 2|, the inclination being provided to maintain ar denite water level in the sluice section of the pan. The upper edges of the fro-nt, rear and side walls are preferably located in the same` horizontal plane and, therefore, the front .wall is of shallower depth than the rear wall I5.

In the illustrated instance, the legs 9-I0 and II-IZ include platesy having their' lower ends secured to the transverse sills 4 5 by hinges 22 and their upper ends secured to the bottomv sections of the concentrating pan by similar hinges 23. With the structure thus far described-fit is apparent that the pan is mounted for oscillating arcuate movement, but the sluice sectionat no time alters its slope due to the parallel motion afforded by the hinged legs. The hinged legs The actuator mechanism includes a prime mover such as an electric motor 24 vxed to the rear end of a platform 25 which has its opposite end extending across .and secured to the transverse sills 4 5. y A

Mounted on the platform intermediate the motor 24 and the rear wall of the pan are laterally spaced jack shaft bearing brackets 26 and 21 carrying a jack shaft 28 which is driven by the motor through a belt 29 operatingl over aligning pulleys '3B- 3| carried o jack shaft respectively.

Fixed on the jack shaft ing brackets 2E and 21 is ing an eccentric strap 33 a rod 34 with a bracket bottom of the pan at a pairs of -legs 9--I0 and I tends loosely through an intermediate the bearan eccentric 32 carrywhich is connected by 35 that is xed to the point intermediate the If-IZ. The rod 3d excpening in a depending ear 36 of the bracket and is retained therein by nuts 31 and 31 threaded on the end of the rod and engaging the opposite sides of the ear.

It is thus apparent that the eccentric connection of the pan between the concentrating pan and the jack shaft controls the angle of inclination as well as the extent of movement of the pairs of legs 9--10 and H-l2. Angularity of the legs may be adjusted either by manipulating the nuts 31 and 31 or by shifting the platform 25 on the transverse sills 4-5. For example, the further that the jack shaft is moved away from the hinge connections with the base frame, the greater will be the inclination of the legs; and the closer that the jack shaft is to the hinging points, the more nearly the angularity of the legs will approach a vertical plane. This latter adjustment is accomplished by providing the platform with suitable slots 38 through which fastening devices 39 are extended to anchor the platform to the transverse sills.

Upon operation of the jack shaft, it is apparent that the hinged legs will cause movement of the pan in an upward and forward direction when the eccentric moves toward the forward dead center position, and in a corresponding rearward and downward movement as the eccentric moves across to its opposite dead center position.

It is also obvious that by adjusting the relative inclination of the legs as above described, the ratio of the extent of up and down movement to the forward and rearward oscillation of the pan can be varied to control settling rate and movement of the concentrates across the pan .as now described.

Mounted in the concentrating pan and extending in laterally spaced parallel relation across the length thereof is a plurality of riiiie plates 40 having their lower edges 4| conforming in shape to the inclined and horizontal sections of the pan bottom so that they lie in close contact therewith to prevent movement of the material being concentrated thereunder. Each plate includes a portion 42 relatively narrow in depth which extends across the horizontal section of the bottom and cooperates with the other riilies to form the sluice 43 above mentioned. The opposite end of each rifile is of substantially the same depth as the front wall to form a plurality of channels extending longitudinally across the inclined portion of the pan bottom to provide substantially quiescent channels 44 for segregating the concentrates separated in the sluice.

From the channels 44, the concentrates are discharged through the discharge opening 2| that is provided in the front wall and which extends longitudinally thereof to connect all of the respective channels. The riffles terminate short of the side wall I6 to form a feed chamber 46 into which the material to be concentrated is delivered from a spout 41 for flow across the rlles.

The light material, known as the tailings, is carried with the water across the top of the riffles and is discharged through an opening 48 in the inset side wall l1.

In order to selectively regulate the size of concentrates which are moved into the quiescent channels 44, I provi-de a selector plate 49 extending transversely of the pan between the front and rear walls and having support against the offsets 50 of the riles, the lower edge of the plate being provided with a series of notchesv 5| to receive the upper edges of the riffies whereby the effective port area between the lower edge 52 of the selector may be regulated by moving the plate to and from the bottom of the pan. In order to adjustably secure the selector, the end walls are provided with angle clips 53 and 54 having slotted flanges 55 extending laterally of the side walls as best shown in Fig. 6. Fastening devices 56 are extended through openings 51 at the ends of the plate and through the slots 58 of the flanges 55 as best illustrated in Fig. l.

In using the device constructed and assembled as described, the motor is energized to cause rotation of the jack shaft in effecting oscillatory vibration of the concentrator in the longitudinal direction of the riiiies. Due to the fact that the concentrating pan is adjustably supported by the spaced pairs of hinged legs, the pan oscillates upwardly and forwardly and then'downwardly and rearwardly with the pan maintaining parallel alignment with the base frame and as there is no lateral movement, the bottom maintains its parallel relation therewith during the oscillation.

To regulate the spacing between the edge 52 and the bottom, the fastening devices are loosened and adjusted in the slot to position the selector plate at the desired height. The fastening devices are then tightened to retain the plate in adjusted position.

The material to be concentrated is mixed with a quantity of water and fed into the feed section through the spout 41 for flow across the rilles in transverse relation to the direction of the vibratory movement imparted to the pan. Flow of the water across the riffles causes separation of the heavy concentrates from the light material in the manner of an ordinary sluice. During separation, the oscillation of the pan causes a churning, panning, or jigging motion upward, forward and reverse in the direction of the selector plate, which movement tends to keep all of the particles of the materials in suspension, facilitating Vsettlement of the heavier particles through the lighter particles, and at the same time tends to throw the heavier particles of the materials into contact with the pan during forward upstroke thereof. The heavier particles, therefore, change their direction of movement relatively to the feed of the lighter materials which continue their movement across the riffles.

On change of direction, the heavy materials are advanced under the edge of the selector plate into the quiescent channels. There is thus a continuous forward advance of the concentrated particles out of the sorting or separating riiles of the sluice into the dead water of the quiescent zones. In other words, the concentrates are sorted out in the sluice and then advanced toward the concentrate outlet 2l in a series of grasshopper like hops in a direction laterally to the flow of water across the sluice until they are passed completely thereacross and under the selector plate into the quiescent channels. In the quiescent zone, the materials continue their grasshopper like advance unhindered through the dead water therein and out the discharge opening 2| where they are caught in a suitable re- `eeptacle not shown. The water flowing over the active riiiies carries with it the light particles of the material, known as tailings, and discharges them through the tailings outlet 48 into a suitable launder, not shown.

Due to the constant advance of the concentrates in the direction of the quiescent zones, after they have been settled out, the riles are retained clear of any packed material that might tend to ll the angles above and below the rifiles and destroy the swirling action and consequent dead water of the trap in which the concentrates are normally collected, thus permitting the ne particles of concentrates to escape from the sluice. The riiile plates are, therefore, effective throughout their full depth as the bottom of the pan is at all times kept clean of packed material and silt that ordinarily tends to collect between the riies of a sluice.

By carrying oi the concentrates as soon as they are separated and by keeping the riiiles cleared of packed material, greater quantities of material can be concentrated in a given time and over a minimum of rillle surface without danger of loss of any of the line concentrates.

The churning and jiggling motion also tends to break up tendency of colloidal materials, such as dissolved clay, to cause small particles of the heavy concentrates to pass therewith over the riilles.

In order to vary the degree of oscillatory motion, the platform may be adjusted relatively to the base frame to vary inclination of the hinged legs that support the concentrating pan. Also, rate of flow in the sluice may be regulated by varying lateral inclination of the sluice in the direction of the tailings outlet 48.

The frequency of oscillations may be regulated by changing the relative sizes of the pulleys 30 and 3| so that the jack shaft can be operated at a desired speed depending upon the form and type of material under concentration. By oscillating the concentrator with short strokes at high speed, the capacity of the concentrator is increased many fold and this factor is of utmost importance in the successful operation of the machine.

While I have described the concentrating mechanism as being suspendingly supported from an overhead structure, it is obvious that the base frame may be supported from below; however, I prefer to use the suspension method as it provides a, machine which is more easily handled and which is of lighter and simpler construction.

'Ihe suspending cables also greatly facilitate the jiggling, panning and churning action'and consequently speed up both concentration and delivery of the concentrates. It appears that best results are, therefore, obtained by allowing the whole machine to be free to move so that the driven and driving parts automatically throw themselves in tune with each other.

What I claim and desire to securev by Letters Patent is:

l. In a device of the character described, a concentrator pan including a sluice section having a tailings discharge opening and a quiescent zone section having a concentrate discharge opening, rimes in the sluice section having upwardly extending ends projecting through said quiescent zone section to said concentrate discharge opening for forming concentrate segregating channels and promoting quiescent state of water in the quiescent zone section, means for delivering material to the sluice section for ilow thereacross, means forming a part of the quiescent zone section for maintaining a denite Water level in said sections whereby water in the quiescent zone section is maintained in substantially still condition, and means for effecting continuous advancement of concentrated material from the sluice section toward said quiescent zone section for segregation in said channels and discharge from said concentrate discharge opening.

2. In a device of the character described including supporting members, a concentrator pan including a sluice section having a tailings discharge openingand a quiescent zone section having a concentrate discharge opening and an upwardly inclined bottom for maintaining a denite hydrostatic level in said sections, riiiles in the sluice section having upwardly extending ends projecting through said quiescent zone section to said concentrate discharge opening for forming concentrate segregating channels and promoting the quiescent state of water in the quiescent zone section, means for delivering material to the sluice section for ow thereacross, means dividing the quiescent zone and sluice sections for selectively passing concentrates from the sluice section to the quiescent zone section, and means for effecting continuous advancement of concentrated material in the sluice section toward said quiescent zone section for segregation therein and discharge therefrom.

3. In a device of the character described including supporting members, a concentrator pan including a sluice section having a tailings discharge opening and a quiescent zone section having a concentrate discharge opening and an upwardly inclined bottom for maintaining a deflnite hydrostatic level in the sections, riles in the sluice section havi g upwardly extending ends projecting through said quiescent zone section to said concentrate discharge opening for forming concentrate segregating channels and promoting the quiescent state of water in the quiescent Zone section, means for delivering material to the sluice section for-flow thereacross,

means dividing the quiescent zone and sluice sections for selectively passing concentrates from the sluice section to the quiescent zone, and means for continuously advancing concentrated material in the sluice section toward said quiescent zone section for segregation therein and discharge therefrom including means for maintaining the concentrator pan in spaced parallel relation to said supporting members during advance of the concentrated material.

JOI-IN W. MiERR/ITT. 

